Checkout Optimization at Superweek 2013, Hungary

CHECKOUT OPTIMIZATION
an workshop dedicated to usability issues
during the checkout process

http://liviutaloi.ro
http://twitter.com/ltaloi
http://www.linkedin.com/in/LiviuTaloi
http://profile.to/liviutaloi/

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All infographic here: http://pinterest.com/liviutaloi/comert-electronic-ecommerce/

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Agenda


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Checkout Optimization
Workshop Agenda
• 08: CRO is the only and the best tool to use?
• 09 – 14: One-Step Checkout? Yes/No
• 15 – 21: Encouraging more items per order
• 22 - 51: Checkout Optimization Guidelines
• [Slide 35, ~ 5 min video]
• [Slide 51, ~ 1 min, 45 sec video]
• 52 - 56: Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
• 57 - 63: Best Practice on Checkout
• 64 - 70: Best Practice on Thank You Page
• 71 – 72: Dialog is just starting… 1-to-1 marketing

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CRO is not the holly grail
• 33% CRO
• 33% Price & Stocks
• 33% Online Marketing

• Conversion Rate is rising not only from layout
changes, but mainly from new [marketing]
functions implemented on your site and from
showing the “right” incentives/copy in the
“right” place (to be read as: tested).

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One-Step Checkout? Yes/No


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Are one-step checkouts truly
better than multi-step?
• There are A/B tests published online where one-step
perform better than multi-step, but in most cases they
compare an non-optimized multi-step checkout with an
optimized one-step checkout

• I had clients when it was ok to change from multi-step
to one-step, but there is no general rule to apply here

• Users in general had relatively few problems
navigating between multiple steps


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Encourage users to add
more items in shopping cart

• Depends on the analytics figures
– One item cart < 1.5 < Multiple items per cart

• Depends on the product category you sell
– Food, fashion, books, cd = multiple item / cart
– Large appliances, yachts = one item / cart


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Checkout Optimization Guidelines


Light blue indicate a problem

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Light green indicate compliance

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Keep the scent

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Apply buttons

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One primary buton


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1. Keep the scent = apply transparency
principle at all levels (ex: discounts on cart too)

2. Don’t use any “apply buttons” = have a
continuous flow, press a button means go to
another step (ajax auto-update)

3. have only a primary action button on page /
step (ex: apply & continue same importance)

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Apply buttons

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One primary buton


Test for primary action button: Blur the page

Probability that user will click on the “action”
button is equal with 1 / no. of hot spots


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3

One primary buton


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Enclosed checkout

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Mandatory fields

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Guest checkout prominent

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4. Enclosed checkout = hide main navigation
during the checkout process, adds
unnecessary visual clutter to the process.

5. Guest checkout prominent = offf, big brother
effect, more comfortable users. Preferably
placed in the top-left area of the page

6. Mandatory fields = don’t over indicate them,
indicate the option with few fields

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Guest checkout prominent


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Inline error validation

7 Form w/ one column

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7. Inline error validation = having to submit all
the form fields to check if they are valid is a
tedious process if only in doubt of the
validity of a single field

8. Forms w/ one column = customers have an
amazingly difficult time understanding the
relationship between form fields in two
columns

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[short intermezzo]

• Usability tests w/ Neuromarketing (GPeC 2011)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr2nexUOtJM
Frustration level rises after an improper error
alert [duration 1m:06s]

• GPeC 2010, eye tracking -
http://vimeo.com/14696259
[duration 4m:17s]

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• Inline error
validation
– Tictail.com

• Indicate only
optional fields
– Tictail.com


37 http://www.slideshare.net/lukew/web-form-design-best-practices


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Shipping = Billing by def

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9. Shipping & Billing address by default = most
customers order products to their own
address so it doesn’t make sense to ask
them for both billing and shipping address
by default.


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Form w/ one column

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TRUST seals Transparency –
shipping costs
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10.Transparency – [shipping] taxes, costs = not
showing the shipping cost until late in the
checkout process will scare off customers
because they can’t get the total price without
completing all the steps

11.add visual clues, trust seals, during your
checkout so your customers feel more
confident providing you with sensitive data

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• DIRECTIVE 2011/83/EU, art 6, paragraph (e),
page 75
– […] Where the total costs cannot be
reasonably calculated in advance, the manner
in which the price is to be calculated shall be
provided.

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4

Enclosed checkout

Checkout Steps

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Newsletter OPT-IN

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12.Checkout steps = clearly show all the steps
of the checkout process, and highlight the
current step (be sure they are also clickable
links, serving as extra navigation in the
checkout)

13.Newsletter Opt-In = newsletter should
always be opt-in instead of opt-out,
customers feel a site is dishonest if signing
up for the site’s newsletter is the default

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4

Enclosed checkout 12

Checkout Steps

Transparency –
shipping costs
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10 Form w/ one column

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Mandatory fields One primary buton

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TRUST seals

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Enclosed checkout
Checkout Steps

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Apply buttons

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One primary buton

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One of the worst usability violations is the non-linear checkout processes.
Sites with a non-linear checkout processes are making users confused and intimidated


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[short intermezzo]

• http://vimeo.com/7171943 - non linear flow
with very big problems resuming the
checkout process.

Duration: first 1m 45s


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Shopping Cart
Abandonment Rate


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Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
• Abandonment rate:
– 61.85% according to Coremetrics / IBM in 2012
– 74.76% according to Fireclick / DigitalRiver in 2012
– 76.00% according to Listrak in 2012
– 72.00% according to SeeWhy in 2011
– 55.00% according to Forrester Research & Shop.org in 2010
– 62.14% according to MarketLive in 2009
– 71.00% according to Forrester Research in 2009
– 59.80% according to MarketingSherpa in 2006

• Average: 66.22% abandonment rate

. http://liviutaloi.ro

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Romanian survey on
abandonment
respondents 500

What is the main reason you have abandoned the buying process? (unique response)
Answer No %
Product prices too high 76 15.20%
I was comparing prices on more than one e-commerce site 76 15.20%
The buying process is too long and too complicated 14 2.80%
I saved the shopping cart in order to continue later 218 43.60%
Delivery times too long 13 2.60%
Too much personal data asked 20 4.00%
I don’t want to register, to have an account 35 7.00%
The e-commerce site is not trustworthy 8 1.60%
Shipping costs are too high 51 10.20%
Other 102 20.40%


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Conversion Rate Optimization
[applied to any page]


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Best Practice
Checkout

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Best Practice on Checkout
• (-) Anxiety (Fears, Uncertainty & Doubts = FUD’s)
– Trust seals, Secure shopping
– Free returns, Transparency (shipping costs)
– Reduce errors in forms, Minimum info required
• (-) Distraction
– Remove the main navigation bar
– Reduce the complexity of the checkout process
– Linear process during checkout
• (+) Clarity [on Value Proposition]
– One big button for the primary action
• (+) Relevance [on Value Proposition]
– Free shipping
– Incentives

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• Data input
– Use the same address as shipping & billing
– Ask the information only once
– Keep the information required to minimum
– Show examples of the input format
– Tell why you need that information for
– Use inline form validation, inline error alert
– Indicate required fields, don’t over indicate

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• Layout
– Use a primary button for primary action
– Hide navigation during the checkout
– Clearly show the steps, put links on them
– Put the guest checkout in prominent position
– Use one column for form fields
– Use trust seals near sensitive information


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• Always use LINEAR FLOW
– Do not INTERRUPT the flow with the account/register
page
– Do not distract the user with the APPLY buttons into
the cart (action/reaction)
– Do not add the COUPON field if there is no info to be
displayed
• Be as TRANSPARENT as possible
– Show prices & taxes as early as possible (product
page, shopping cart)
– Show the
http://liviutaloi.ro total price as early as possible

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Best Practice
Thank You Page


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Best Practice on TY Page
• First of all, put a big THANK YOU on that
page

• Put a link to order history, link to order
tracking page

• Publish again your contact details to lower
the FUD’s +trust seals

• Be creative with your LOGO/BRAND

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• Ask for feedback, invite customers to sign up for
Newsletters, invite them to like your FB page, or
join a FB group, share the order

• Create an account explaining the benefits, they
will register because they’ll love it, not because it’s
mandatory

• TY page is a prime location to include tips on how
to use your product, solutions to common
problems and links to your support forums or
helpdesk

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• Add links to your best content (from blog:
guides, tutorials, infographics etc), that
strengthens your visitors’ perception of you
as an expert in your area (video guide)

• You can also display some testimonials,
showing how well other customers feel when
using that products (text, video)

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Dialog is just starting…


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User centered, 1-to-1 marketing
• Recovery of abandoned baskets
– 3 emails, 1st at 15-25 min after the user abandon the shopping
cart, 2nd at 24h and 3rd after maxim 72-96h
– Careful with incentives, users might become used to wait for this
(use an algo to randomize)
• A series of emails that accompany user during the
product lifetime

– Delivery +1 day, asking about services, and thanking
for the order
– Delivery +5-7 days, email w/ a guide/tutorial
– Delivery +15-20 days, please write a review
– Delivery +45 days, please look at this accessories

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Thank You!

Send me an email to receive this presentation.

• http://LiviuTaloi.ro
• Liviu.Taloi@SiteAudit.ro; Liviu@LiviuTaloi.ro
• I am active on Twitter, Facebook, G+ etc.
– http://twitter.com/ltaloi
– http://www.facebook.com/ltaloi
– Etc…


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About Liviu TALOI
• Liviu Taloi was part of the team who worked for the most powerful Romanian online store –
eMag.ro during the first years of existence, where he was a PR Manager for 3 years.

• Since 2005-2006, Taloi founded the company WebAudit specialized in providing
consultancy in electronic-commerce for Romanian online shops. As a consultant, Taloi was
practically a Project Manager for each client, his main activities regarding: analyzing and
solving usability and functionality problems, growing and optimizing conversion rate, testing
consumers behavior with website optimizer tools, administrating all the departments of an
online shop and creating online advertising/marketing campaigns, measuring the return of
investment and other KPI’s.

• Together with Andrei Radu, Liviu Taloi developed the methodology and organized the
usability tests for Romanian eCommerce Awards Festival (GPeC) since 2007 until now (first
ones held in Romania). Based on international standards, the purpose of usability tests was
to identify main problems faced by regular users when they are trying to buy something
online.

• In the last years, Liviu Taloi offered consultancy to more than 50 Romanian online shops.
Most of them are now leaders on their market niche.

• Except consultancy and running usability tests, Taloi is also a speaker at conferences and
e-commerce workshops, being very appreciated by audience. He also writes articles and
market analysis for different online and printed publications. In 2008, Liviu Taloi was lecturer
at the first Romanian E-Commerce workshop called “iSell” and also he was lecturer at the
first Online workshops called “WebSell” – a series of 7 webinars regarding major problems
ofhttp://twitter.com/ltaloi
an online shop.
• Taloi was part of the team who developed the E-Commerce Study requested by ANCOM

Checkout Optimization at Superweek 2013, Hungary

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